Joelzy's 96 5SPD(daily) & 5VZ block-up rebuild

[Joelzy]

Joelzy's 3rd gen & 5VZ block-up rebuild

Inspected and legit

They couldnt align it much as the CA bushings are toast and the spacer lift is wonky with the UCAs.

Looking to go springs, struts and probaby UCAs soon. Recommendations?

Someone suggested wheeler T1s and 5100s but what UCAs to avoid issues?

TIA


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[weekendclimber]

Can't recommend the SPC UCA's enough. You can find them for significantly cheaper than the list price on their website as well. I think got a set for around $500-$600.

 

[Joelzy]

Thank you! I was actually just looking at those.

Did you do a diff drop as well?
Pretty sure the PO put the spacer lift on and never drove it before i ended up with it. So after i finished the motor and drove it, the CV boots splurted all the grease out. Thinking the diff drop might help.


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[96RedRunner]

I'll second the SPC UCA's really do it for getting alignment right.
I've run diff drop for 9 yrs, though I didn't buy a kit too easy to make for way less money.

 

[Joelzy]

Joelzy's 3rd gen & 5VZ block-up rebuild

I'll second the SPC UCA's really do it for getting alignment right.

I've run diff drop for 9 yrs, though I didn't buy a kit too easy to make for way less money.

Nice! Are you able to run OE balljoints with SPC?

I havent looked at what is needed at all yet but im sure i can make one. Need to look into specifics


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[96RedRunner]

Nice! Are you able to run OE balljoints with SPC?,,,

No.
The SPC's come with BJ's with a grease zirk on latest version. I had 1st gen version without grease zerk. They stayed tight for the 70k miles on them when 96Red got totaled. You can purchase BJ's from SPC separately, if your worried about availability down the road they are cheap enough to have a set on the shelf.

 

[96RedRunner]

[MENTION=221666]Joelzy[/MENTION] for the diff drop I copied Sonoran Steels first version, used 1/2" allthread for the bolts with nut welded on one end.
SS's new version spacers can be found at most any hardware store.

 

[weekendclimber]

No.
The SPC's come with BJ's with a grease zirk on latest version. I had 1st gen version without grease zerk. They stayed tight for the 70k miles on them when 96Red got totaled. You can purchase BJ's from SPC separately, if your worried about availability down the road they are cheap enough to have a set on the shelf.

I also have the 1st gen SPC UCA's without the grease zerk on the UBJ. Just got a set of UBJs with the grease zerk that I'm going to be swapping in soon. I'll keep the old one so that I have a replacement set for the future (though without the grease zerk). Also have the Sonoran Steel 1" diff drop with the SS 1.2 lift package and have yet to have the CV boots spit grease. I've got an extra pair of spare CV's if/when that does happen.

 

[Joelzy]

good to know thank you guys!

Ordered T1s and 5100s for the front and I'm just waiting on one LBJ to come in from IMC.
Going to do LCA bushings or LCAs depending, new OE balljoints all around and the suspension, then look at the diff drop.

Holding out on UCAs for now but will probably do that in a while. Moving at the first of the year and need to not spend more on the 4R for now.

 

[Joelzy]

PickNPull about an hour away had a new addition late last week.
97 with a lot of bits i wanted but with everything else going on i didn't make it out there until Sunday morning.

A lot of what i needed was still around but there were a couple young fellas wrenching on it and they had pulled the bumper off about 5 minutes before I arrived. DOH! i had planned on using the top half for the time being until after the move and all but you can't win em all.
Was able to grab the factory skid plates which i didn't have and will not only suffice for the time being but will help in the creation of the new skids in the long run.

anywho, got back home and after working on the house a bit, i was able to start thinking about building a steel bumper out of some scraps that a friend hooked me up with out of his shop's dumpster. They take in a lot of vehicles and when they get a truck or jeep with bumpers or skids that aren't their preferred brand, they usually toss em. :bravo:

I don't have the best pieces to build a complete bumper but i can definitely make something temporary that'll do for a while. I'll eventually start from actual scratch and design it the way i want but for now, i'll be over here trying to make scraps look good.

this is a photoshop of one of the bigger pieces i'll probably use, cut up and modified then some quick shading to represent some of the other bits.

Not exactly sure how well it'll go just yet but i can always start over later or bail and buy a weld together kit.

 

[dietsoap]

Curious, no desire to do the Doc 144 alternator upgrade? Not needed but comes in super handy when you start putting on a bunch of lights and running a winch,stereo etc.

 

[Joelzy]

Joelzy's 3rd gen & 5VZ block-up rebuild

Curious, no desire to do the Doc 144 alternator upgrade? Not needed but comes in super handy when you start putting on a bunch of lights and running a winch,stereo etc.

Im still new here so thats the first im hearing of it
Guess its a little late now haha

Got the frame ends off tonight

and realized i have pieces that might work well for front mounts after some trimming

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[Joelzy]

Killed the bumper project temporarily to upgrade some of the front end before the trek out to Utah.

Made quite a mess and while i expected the balljoints to the the worst part, getting the LCAs out proved to be the most tedious and time consuming part.

Thanks to [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] for all the videos and the wealth of info on this forum.
Had a seized cam sleeve so i had the joy of cutting that out as after spending most of the day just getting everything else apart.

The upper balljoints ended up being the easiest part and being that i was pulling the control arms out, the lowers were a piece of cake to get out as well.

Trouble was getting the bushings out as i have no means to do so myself. Took them to a friend with a press but he did not have the proper attachments to get these out as the other end of the arm would be in the way every time. I dropped em off at a shop i use for alignments and inspections in hopes that they can get it done and i can get the front end back together by the weekend.
Looking forward to putting it back together with the Wheeler T1s and 5100s as well as a diff drop to get everything where it needs to be.

Oy


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[Joelzy]

looking for a win today

taking my LCAs to that shop was a dumb idea and costs me several days.
Not only did they put it off, the guy chewed up my control arm trying to get the bushings out, then only got 1 and a half pressed in. the other arm still has the old bushings and they gave up. friggin kidding me.

Unfortunately i'm in the middle of trying to wrap up a job, pack, plan and just get ready mentally for the next couple weeks so i don't have time or energy to find someone else to work on em.

Ordered CAs from Napa to go with my OE balljoints and I guess we'll look into the others as backups. I literally have tonight and Saturday to put the 4runner back together, next week lunch breaks to get it aligned and we leave for Utah right after Christmas.
And here i thought i was getting myself ahead of the game

 

[weekendclimber]

I'm in the middle of tearing down a used pair of front LCA's and those bushings are a PITA. Could not quite get either of the [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] methods to work that he shows in his videos. Ended up using the dremel to cut the rim of the outer lip of the bushings after using a cold chisel to separate them from the LCA. That way I could press the metal sleeve straight down into the middle of the LCA. Took about an hour and a half for one bushing and have the other 3 that I'll hopefully have time to get done this weekend.

Being crunched for time like you are is the worst. God speed to you and good luck!

 

[Joelzy]

Joelzy's 3rd gen & 5VZ block-up rebuild

Being crunched for time like you are is the worst. God speed to you and good luck!

Thank you and hey it worked!
Got it all back together today and some!
Whew i was getting nervous that i wouldnt have it done before xmas but all good now!

New LCAs, UBJs, LBJs, wheeler T1s, Bilstein 5100s, diff drop, installed the skid plate i picked up from PickNPull and bumper i got to hold me over until i build one.
Ride is noticeably better than the crap struts with rough country spacers that the PO installed.

Probably wont get to tinker much until after im in Utah full time.







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[Joelzy]

one more for fun before the scenery surrounding the 4R gets much better.
Leaving for Utah in about a week :tea:

also, trying to do a shakedown this week to make sure everything is good with the rebuilds. So far, I only have an ABS sensor out and my speedometer decided to stop working and throw an engine code. Guessing those are related but not too concerned about it as speeding doesn't happen easily and it'll be towed to Utah anyhow. I'll figure it out once settled.

 

[Joelzy]

Finally somewhat settled in Utah, though, I still have to travel for work next week :frusty:
first time i remembered to take a photo of it out and about

4R is running great and loving the weather but i have some work to do.

Ordering the PCK from [MENTION=28464]eimkeith[/MENTION] to fix that and hopefully help the slight passenger side rear lean im getting but if not i also ordered a rear coil spacer.

Also received my Gibson catback from [MENTION=9]Jason B[/MENTION] right before the move so its still in the box waiting for a free weekend.

 

[WWRD99]

What a build you've had, I dig the motor build to see how others go at it. Couldn't imagine doing this with it taken apart first, always hated picking up where bubba started. Pay off is huge though.

 

[Joelzy]

Joelzy's 3rd gen & 5VZ block-up rebuild

What a build you've had, I dig the motor build to see how others go at it. Couldn't imagine doing this with it taken apart first, always hated picking up where bubba started. Pay off is huge though.

It blows knowing i need to go over everything in the case that he might have loosened it for some reason but in the grand scheme i still only have a few grand into it and I've learned a ton about it so i can hopefully keep it going for a long time and continue to improve it.



When i was loading it to tow it to Utah from Dallas I realized one of the rear shock bolts was backed out about a half inch :redbrick: that could have been interesting. The kid who owned it definitely has no place working on cars and now has a BRZ or something like that. He braps around dallas and pays someone else to work on it and that seems about right to me.

Didnt feel the need to bump the thread but took the 4R out yesterday afternoon and had to snap a pic with the sunset